Art Takeaway

The Art Takeaway was a cool exhibition in Oxford that took place in a Chinese takeaway for the Oxford Playhouse’s Playing Out Season of 2012.

The artwork on display was all things that had been designed to fit inside a takeaway box. Audience members could then take a piece home upon completion of a pledge set by the artist.

I displayed a floral apron with a “home truth” hand embroidered onto it. In this case, “I am my mother’s daughter.” My pledgee then had to write me a letter while at the event and come up with their own home truth which I stitched onto another apron and then sent them a photo of.

Cheryl chose “you can’t take it with you.” Initially I was going to find another floral fabric do something similar to the first apron but over the summer I was sat in the Prado gallery watching a French film about the Spanish Civil War with Spanish subtitles. After a while the words just washed over me as I watched these poetically shot images of war, my back to The Guernica which incidentally is one of the most amazing pieces of artwork I have ever seen in the flesh. Cheryl’s home truth took on a new significance for me as the film brought home the impermanence of everything.

The resulting apron has a much more utilitarian aesthetic. The photos appear to have disappeared into the ether for now but I shall attempt to get them up soon.

I would like to continue this project at some time. If you’re interested in participating then just drop me a line.